I enjoy being a loner once in a while.
And that's when my iPod becomes my best friend in times of boredom.

I walked the streets of Orchard today, into various shops, just browsing aimlessly all on my own.
Looking at whatever I wanted for however long I can, with my trusty iPod securely plugged to assure me that I'm not alone. Not that I minded. But with some background music, it makes me less conscious that I'm shopping alone, which come to think of it, seems pretty pathetic. BUT. It's rather relaxing to go at my own pace and without the need to consider the other party.

The initial plan was to go shopping with Ethelyn but she wasn't feeling up to it today. So i went on ahead with my own plans: to look for a nice 2009 planner, browse through Borders and Kino, sit down at a cafe to read my books, people-watch and think about life.

So I sat down at Paragon Coffee Bean and progressed about 90+ pages of 'Marley and Me' in 2h 15 mins thereabouts. A pretty good pace for undisturbed leisure reading.

I really should know my own standards of reading speed. I barely struggled to finish 'Marley and Me' so that I can quickly go on and finish 'New Moon' before the new semester begins, along with all the readings that will start piling up; within 4 days, to be exact. But I couldn't resist an Archie comics sale when I see one. 3 for $10! Costs $5.90 per book at its usual price. But knowing me, I will probably not regulate the supply of comics over a healthy period of time.

Shucks. I'm falling sick again. And I thought a recent recovery from it will indicate immunity for a decent 6 months. I should probably go sleep now and nurse myself back to health. Can't afford to fall sick now that the new sem is starting. :\

TJ dancers gathering today at marina square. Most of them still looked the same but there had been many changes and updates in their lives. Schools and majors are vastly different. Sharon just got back from US a few days ago, Fanny had on her pre-braces metal thingy in her mouth which I commented looked like little Willy Wonka's dental devices, if you'd watched the movie. lol. :p But the most interesting of all are the newly attached girls like Meng Ai and Andrea. haha.. Interesting because they had been single from the time I knew them till now. Somehow, there is a different sort of aura about them now. Which is kind of new to me. :)
So we had lunch at Waraku, took photos and walked around. And I bought a copy of Twilight book which I got hooked on pretty quickly. The girls were saying how disappointing the movie was. Like I always said, one should always watch the movie before reading the book just so you won't be disappointed by the flick. Because very rarely will the movie outshine the book itself since the movie-makers have to omit certain parts of the book to fit its contents within a limited time span of the movie. And I find it easier to imagine and identify with the characters after having watched the movie.
If I wasn't carrying a gi-normous duffel bag from the stayover at Clement's house the previous night, I would have been able to continue shopping with them. So I went home at 5 plus and I got started on my new book earlier. :)



Marlene said I should not abandon my blog so she'd know what's been going on in my life. Thanks Mar for being such a loyal reader of my blog that you were the first person to tag my board upon a silent revival of a pathetic entry after a thousand year hiatus. Yup. So I've decided that I should restart my blogging once again. Afterall, it would be such a waste to stop a blog which I'd diligently updated from almost 4 years ago. Memories should constantly be created and recorded lest one forgets. And especially so in my case, since I'm not very good at remembering significant events.

Its the end of the year. So let's try a point-form quick summary of my very happening 2008, which happens to be the most eventful year of my life to date.

. Spent new year in Korea .
. Got a job as an airport guide .
. Worked as data entry at E-Three Bizsolutions .
. Quit my job as an airport guide .
. Worked as an ad hoc relief receptionist at HSBC Insurance .
. Latin dance lessons at Shawn and Glady's .
. Release of A'level results .
. 2 months of fretting whether I'll be able to get into NUS FASS .
. Practices and performance for our alumni dance item at TJC Reverie IV dance concert .
. Passed Basic Theory, started driving for the first time ever .
. Cambodia Mission Trip .
. FASS discretionary admission interview with the professors .
. Attended ballet lessons for the first time .
. Tutoring Nathan .
. My 19th birthday with SACC youths after dance practice for youth sunday.
. Got a job at Starhub Roadshow .
. Quit after 2 days of work cos it sucked .
. Successful application into FASS!!
. Church camp at Port Dickson .
. Sheares Exposure Camp Committee; which is actually a camp, really. not a committee .
. Arts Camp .
. Realized that tanned skin isn't for me .
. Campus Crusade camp: Fixed On Christ .
. Choreographed a youth dance item for Youth Sunday service .
. Bangkok trip with Ethelyn, Joanne and Amelia .
. Quit my job at E-Three .
. Hall life starts at Sheares Block A Room 305.
. Matriculation fair .
. Arts O-Week .
. Got my own first laptop: Lenovo Thinkpad T400 .
. Choosing university modules; a sense of loss yet, newness and excitement .
. NUS Dance Synergy .
. Sheares Lorry Supper; stranded along the expressway at 4 in the morning .
. Passed Final Theory .
. My god-niece's first month celebration .
. Organized a hall-wide night cycling event with Sheares Link .
. Chingay Wearable Arts exhibition at Night Safari .
. Move out of hall day; experienced hall-sickness for the first time .
. Synergy Dance Camp at Raffles Hall; makes me appreciate Sheares Hall so much more .
. SACC 2nd Youth Camp: Heroes 2008 .
. Youth Leadership Retreat .

That's a pretty concise summary of a year's activity, if I do say so myself. Compare that with 2007's which will pretty much consist of study, study and study. Indeed, pre and during-University life has been very happening. 2008 has taught and exposed me to a lot of things which I haven't been able to learn for the past 18 years of my life. Some reflections to sum up the events in 2008:

Firstly, thank God for giving me what I desire: NUS FASS plus hall plus many other camps and activities which I can then go for. I feared not getting into Uni but now, I'm given a truly enjoyable Uni life. :)
Secondly, the Lord guiding me into leadership: the dance choreography in which I had to teach and lead 30 youths who had no previous experience and then the role of a group leader during the youth camp. Most would have known that I'm not the kind with strong leadership qualities and had never had significant leadership contributions. I was quite happy to stay that way. But lately, I've seen the detrimental effects of satisfying myself within my own comfort zone. I haven't told this to anyone before but the Lord knows. So I want to thank God for giving opportunities and teaching me to grow in leadership.
Thirdly, His protective hand that kept me safe throughout the year. In particular, my overseas trips to Korea, Cambodia and Thailand. The Bangkok trip especially, since there were only the 4 of us and thankfully, no riots arose then.
Lastly, He continues to protect me from negative influences and giving me sensibility and guidances in making decisions.

A time of growth, new experiences and lessons, and VERY evidently, God's grace and blessing in my life. :)))

i never expected that spamming grey's anatomy drama serials would eventually come in useful.

i woke up at 7.30am this stormy morning. my sis and me were supposed to bring my wheelchair-bound grandma to the polyclinic to clean her wound after having amputated her toe last week. it was the first time we took care of grandma on our own. usually mummy is the one who brings her to the hospital periodically for more medicine. it wasn't easy maneuvering the wheelchair and the rain didn't help save the situation. but what was most difficult is to watch as they undid the dressing to reveal the amputated feet. and for the first time in my life, i was faced with raw flesh underneath the skin. it was horrible. my sis freaked out. but i just watched on, because one of us had to learn how to dress the wound. and it was heartbreaking when grandma moaned in pain.

maybe i won't understand her agony. but i can feel her insecurity and the constant need for my sis and me to be in her line of vision. not being able to walk about freely, to be confined in the house, time to her, holds little value as she watch and wishes for the day to pass by swiftly. i won't be able to withstand the loneliness. maybe it comes with the mentality of an old person, which makes it all less unbearable.
but amidst all that, there is at least one good thing for grandma, that grandpa is alive and well. and that for one, is a very fortunate thing indeed.

of all the requests that i may have prayed for and was answered but forgotten, this is one i wished to remember and track its teachable moments.



i didn't think i'd be able to get it since the decision pended for quite a while. but thank You for giving it to me when i least expected it. now, with another tuition job, maybe i'll be able to save up more money. God had impressed on my heart to save up and contribute to my own hall accommodation fees. and now He has provided a way for me to do just that. recently, there's so much to support and cope with, i simply cannot just leave it to mummy to provide for it all. what with grandma's latest need for medical financial support, i should be more independent. more independent than what my past experiences has already moulded me to become.



because i cannot imagine how university life would be like, from where would i get my motivation to study without hall, and how i can be happy without dancing. on top of that, my commitments in church, and to get decent academic grades. well, i just hope to be able to cope and leave it up to God to pave the way.







Sanstav Paul. a familiar name that rings a bell. he's a schoolmate back in tj. and today, as i was reviewing the entire list of requests at facebook, there is this group request: May u rest in peace, Sanstav Paul. and i found out that he died in a plane crash while training as a pilot in Arizona. i'm just so saddened by this news. 19 year old. a brilliant student with a bright future. and his life just ended so suddenly. all that he had worked so hard for had to be stopped. indeed, he died doing what he loved, that is flying. but sometimes i do wonder, what one might think and feel after his/her life has ended. because i'm sure one's consciousness don't just cut off right when the heart stops beating. because there is a soul in every body and mind which is able to transcend the physical state. satisfied because they have fulfilled all their wishes and dreams? or regret for not making decisions which might make them feel happier? and where do you go after life on earth has passed away? God promised eternal life to those who receive Him as their personal God and saviour and to become his disciple by following His ways. but what about the lukewarm Christians? where will they go? what about the babies who die at birth, who never got the chance to learn and understand spoken words, much less the gospel?
i guess God has His ways. His judgement is beyond us. which is why He is God. because we cannot put Him in a box nor understand everything about Him.



this christmas, i wish for resolutions to be fulfilled, relationships to be mended and built, and be less laidback as a person.

this blog has been abandoned for such a long time. and i told myself that i will revive it when i have the inspiration to blog. and now its here, my testimony and thanksgiving to God.
the reason why i'm doing this through a blog is because i couldn't do it better in speech. i figured that by writing it down will i do justice to the grace that God had showered in my life. i have been penning down my journey of faith in my diary and here, i will relate to you what i have experienced.


i have been accepted into NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences through discretionary admission. because my results did not make the cut, i got in through my cca achievements, other activities and through the submission of an essay, which granted me an interview with fass. this would mean that i'm competing for the 10 percent of the places in the faculty and to me, i thought it was rather pressurising to have my future educational experiences depending on my portfolio and the interview with the professors. and i find it especially hard because i'm not a very outspoken person and when i'm intimidated, i will just keep quiet, or have little to say, which doesn't put you in a good light during an interview. so i prayed long and hard for strength and peace from God as i face the interview. most importantly, for His will be done and i can be assured if His will for me is to be successful in what is to come.

and i want to thank God for the people who have helped me in one way or another.

for Xuen. whose words made me to go on ahead with the discretionary admission application when i initially didn't want to do it because it was too troublesome.

for Emily, who edited and proof-read my essay section in the discretionary admission application.

for Amelia, who helped clear my doubts on writing portfolio.

for Joanne, who gave me directions on how to get to the interview venue, her prayers and her constant advice.

for Xinling and her constant advice too.

for Claudia, who gave me a mock interview practice and her messages of encouragement and verses from the bible the night before my interview.

for William and Lydia, who wrote recommendation letters for me despite a really short notice amidst their other commitments. initially i expected just one, but i got two letters instead. =)

and lastly, for all those who have prayed for me. if you haven't, just being happy for me is more than enough. =)

before i sound like i'm delivering some thank you speech after receiving a star award, i would like to highlight that it was God who paved this road for me. He blessed me with these people who helped me reach up to this point. this is what i realized through this whole experience. God could have just put me into the course without the discretionary admission and the nerve-wrecking interview. but it was only through this whole process did i experience Christ and learning to truly cherish the grace that God had shown me.

let me talk about my interview for a bit. the two professors were curious about my involvement in church and they asked some questions about what my church is like and my past mission trips to cambodia. their subsequent questions were mainly concerns as to whether i'll be able to juggle schoolwork and other activities. initially i was worried that they may reject me because of my involvement in church, which may cause me have lesser time for studies. but i'm really glad that i honoured God with my ministries and in that interview room because He gave me what i desired. =)

and i am thankful that this door that God had opened for me is just what i have always wanted, which is a bonus. because sometimes, what you want may not be what God plans for you. by learning to trust in Him that He will give nothing but the best and committing your ways unto Him, will He prosper you. this may sound pretty layman and basic, like what we always listen to in sunday service. but it took me years to grasp this knowledge and to really practice it out. its not to say that i have total understanding of it, but i'm still learning as i go along. because i used to try and take a lot of things into my own hands. it was just recently did i experience that there is only so much that we can do. but God can achieve so much more, if you are willing to place it in His hands.

i told God that if it is His will, let me get into fass. and i will really try to get my priorities right this time and in return for His goodness, i will testify of His love and grace in my life. yup. so here it is. enjoy. =)

hello i'm back from hiatus and finally into blogging!! it had been a very eventful month indeed. =)


4th dec: tjc prom night [starlight romance]
personally, i didn't really enjoy it. not all the photos with me. my camera had to run out of battery even before I started using it. :\ still waiting for yihui to transfer all the zi lian photos. even so, i won't be uploading those so these are all that i'll be posting. :P

20th dec: SACC's first Celebrate Christmas in Singapore (CCIS) at ngee ann city.
with items put up by the choir, chinese congre dance of course, the youth dancers with the dance, angelis choreographed by grace. =) we, the angels along with our wings were almost like mascots that day. everybody were taking pictures of/with us. haha..

25-28th dec: shopping trip in bangkok
with my sister and her friends. out of the 7 of us, 4 are teachers, 1 banker, 1 who works in a medical lab and lastly, me, the loserish jc graduate. haha. but it was kinda fun though. we went pahtpong (wrong spelling), the red light district in bangkok at night. and for one night, we had a thai friend bring us around after dinner (setting off at 11pm) to shop at the local night market, visit the monument of the king and to eat the number one phadthai in bangkok till 2am. considering the fact that he's a total stranger, he had been very hospitable and friendly. very rare indeed.

29th dec: starstruck
kudos to the decor team! =)

30-6th jan: korea
2 words: cold and fun!!!

the biggest takeaway from this trip is that i learnt how to SKI!!! how cool is that? haha. i must now frequent snow city to practice skiing should i forget my skills one day. i mastered skiing within a span of 2 hours and managed to ski on a slope approximately 2-3 storeys high. okay i'm so proud of myself. :P however, skiing is not without falling down and crashing into people and skis. i was screaming excuse me to the people in my way whom i couldn't avoid with my inability to turn but most couldn't understand english at all. my knee is still aching from the fall. and i got crashed into by a snowboarder. skiing boots and skis weigh a ton. imagine having to haul those 2 items plus the stick and journey up the slope for 5-10 mins before sliding down again in 20 seconds. but given the fact that its a once in a lifetime opportunity to ski on a real snowy mountain, i thought it was worth it and kept going at it for 3 hours. haha. i believe i developed muscles from it.

this trip is definitely an eye-opener with its temperature that ranges from -9 to 0 degree, witnessing the falling snow, snow covered pathways, ice-capped mountains and the endless atlantic ocean (unlike in singapore where the trawlers and ships block boundaries between the sky and sea). korea is definitely a place with breath-taking sights and beautiful people.

[pictures to be uploaded at a later date]


officially employed as an orange airport guide. but not officially deployed to a particular terminal yet due to the inefficiency of some employment agency which i shall not name. their lack of ability in proper staff, training and schedule management resulting in a loss of time, money and resources.


now playing: orisha feat heather headley - representing, cuba from the soundtrack of dirty dancing havana nights

I am..

koh wen yuan rachel
nineteen
31051989
child of God
dancer
sacc
nus fass

Talk To Me

Wishes

iphone
acoustic guitar
the duchess
confessions of a shopaholic movie
bride wars

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The Past

March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 May 2008 December 2008 January 2009

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